For the past seven years, Scarlet Winter and Oliver Bandar have sheltered children who fight in “The Games.” It’s no easy feat. Many of the kids are damaged—sad, broken, and in pain. Some are physically unwell, but those who were in The Games for any long span of time have become bloodthirsty, mindless monsters, sometimes beyond hope.

No matter the cost, Winter and Bandar will not give up their cause, even if it brings the unwanted attention of the most demented man in the country. Soon, these two do-gooders end up as targets. Winter even suspects she’s being poisoned. As her feelings for Bandar turn toward the romantic, she has more to worry about than a possible broken heart.

What might happen, for instance, if Winter is forced to take part in The Games? As tensions rise, a life of peace seems impossible. Things are irrevocably changed when blood is spilled, but Winter tells herself she is no killer. She is no killer. How far will Winter go to survive, return to Bandar, and save the children who desperately need her help?